Closing Matinee

It seems rather odd to have a Saturday matinee as the final performance of a play, but perhaps that's the way it is for Middle School musicals. Certainly, none of the Middle School / Junior High musicals I'd ever seen were quite as sophisticated as this one, so it is probably to be expected that the schedule of performances would be non-standard as well.

The only real complaint about the scheduling of this performance is the same complaint I'd have for any middle-of-the-day event for a Saturday: it kills off the whole day. I can't really accomplish anything else, because during the morning, I'm preparing for the event, and afterward, I'm recovering from the event. So, there goes another Saturday!

Having a few hours beforehand did provide me the opportunity to clean up the shop area. I'd left it in a huge mess Friday afternoon as we were in a rush to get to the performance, so there was sawdust and board scraps and tools scattered thither and yon all over the place. Took me quite a while to put everything back in its place. Then there was just enough time to grab a quick lunch before heading off to the school.

As a villager, a non-principal part, Mary didn't have to do microphone checks or extensive makeup or complex costuming, so we didn't have to be there extremely early. As you can see from the picture below, she had a simple costume. The kerchief gave me the impression that she was a Russian peasant, probably because I've seen far more photographs of Russian women wearing them than French, but it's still valid for the period. And she looked great onstage.
Here she is standing in front of the cart.

The afternoon performance didn't start off well. The principal actress, playing Belle, had been struggling with a sore throat all week, so it really wasn't a surprise when, after only a few notes into the first song, her voice cracked and she had to switch it down an octave. Caught me by surprise, though, because she'd been doing so well all week long. From backstage, it sounded as though she'd suddenly switched to an alto harmony part instead of the melody, but people who were out in the audience assured me that it was simply an octave switch.

Then there were some unexpected hitches with some set pieces catching on curtains and floors and things. A few rushed lines, a few missed blockings, one or two places where a singer couldn't find the pitch or the beat, or rushed ahead of the music a bar or two. The wood-chopping "invention" worked great. The fog machine (for the Beast-to-Human transformation) still didn't work right: the fog missed its cue, so there was a huge cloud of fog swirling around the floor after the Beast had turned human. I don't think that trick ever worked right except once during rehearsal.

The cart looked great.

It was a bit of a relief and a downer when the curtain finally went down and we were all done. Putting on musicals can be such a stressful time, but when it's all over, you just can't wait til the next one starts up. Unfortunately, there isn't another Middle School play for a year or so.

Meanwhile, there was a set to strike, and the kids got to work with a vengeance, tearing the flats apart with hammers and screwdrivers, pulling the styrofoam arches apart, sweeping up the mess of debris that was scattered all over the stage. It took us the better part of an hour and a half to get it all done, then it was time for the cast party.

The parents in charge of the food had done a marvelous job preparing the cast party. There was pizza and vegetable trays and fruit trays and chili cheese dip and crackers and chips and crab puffs and stuffed mushrooms and cupcakes and fudge marshmallows and cookies and -- did I mention pizza? There was far more food than could possibly be eaten by the cast and crew, but they gave it their best. Mary and I didn't stay til the end because she was tired and I was tired and we wanted to get home and relax for awhile, so we did.

Now only two more weeks of school & work, and then we're off for a while!